Jason Marshall Jr. is Florida born and bred throughandthrough. The Miami Palmetto Senior High product received offers from every blue blood program in the country, ultimately deciding to head upstate where he'd become a four-year starter for the Florida Gators.
After hearing his name called for the 150th pick of the 2025 NFL Draft, Marshall Jr. will play his professional football games in the same ballpark he went to as a kid.
Full-circle moment
"Being a little kid and just going to the stadium, sitting in the stadium seats and like, 'Man, I'm dreaming to be here.'" Marshall Jr. said. "And today that opportunity came up and now I'm going to be on the field."
Among the programs in the mix for Marshall Jr. out of high school was the team that shares Hard Rock Stadium with the Dolphins, but he wanted a different experience. He listed different scenery, being able to meet new people and have different opportunities as his reason for heading north instead of staying home at the University of Miami for his college years – and he made a great choice.
Marshall Jr. started all four years at Florida with 45 games played and 39 starts. He intercepted two passes, made 7.5 tackles for a loss, including a sack, and had 27 passes defensed. He was also a two-time member of the SEC Academic Honor Roll (2022, 2024).
Physical and disruptive
The NFL has become prominently a zone league. The teams that pace the pack in terms of using man coverage typically hover right around 50-50. The Lions were the only team that played more man than zone last year.
That's not to say man coverage is an irrelevant skill – far from it. Teams like to play zone on early downs and protect the long ball before switching to a blitzing front with man coverage on third downs, and that's what Marshall Jr. excelled at during his time at Florida.
His height and weight both check in at over the 80th percentile among all cornerbacks to measure at the scouting combine, and his play style is one of pure aggression. He was battle-tested for four years in the SEC and did some of his best work in press coverage against the nation's top wide receivers.
For his career, Marshall Jr. allowed just 68 catches on 143 targets across 1,228 snaps in coverage. That's good for a completion percentage of just 47.6 and 0.97 yards per coverage snap.
Explosive and twitchy
All that experience in the SEC gave Marshall Jr. plenty of NFL replicable snaps. His range and nose for the football helped him match some of the best route runners in the country every season. He displayed smooth feet and ability to quickly transition out of breaks.
At the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine, Marshall Jr. jumped 37.5 inches in the vertical and 10feet, 5 inches on the broad jump, both of those registered in the 80th percentile among corners. He also scored a 1.54-second 10-yard split time, which was in 83rd percentile.
For more on Jason Marshall Jr., and the rest of the Dolphins 2025 draft class, download the Drive Time Podcast with Travis Wingfield.
